You can see 4 examples here. The teachers are to be commended due to their dedication to these students. Not only did they teach the classes, but they provided the artwork mounted, labeled and ready for hanging. This is not a simple task and I hope that parents and students thank the art teachers at our high schools for putting in such a tremendous effort!

Please make time to participate in the Linda Gonzalez Memorial Youth Art Walk this Saturday from 4 – 7pm and see the sea of student artists with their families. It’s really a fun experience to be around new artists who get a chance to participate in an exhibit of this caliber and size. It will be worth it!

Saturday, March 6th 4-6pm: Roberta Ahrens at Aquas Cafe.  Roberta creates some of the most beautiful floral art in the area with her trademark cracked linen foundation.  Show will be up through the end of March.

Sunday, March 7th 1-4pm: Calabi Gallery: A Celebration of Women’s History Month!  Calabi Gallery proudly presents a new show celebrating Women’s History Month. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, 1 day prior to International Women’s Day. The gallery’s primary concern is to honor and give exposure to under-appreciated artists. Women artists have historically received less attention than male artists of equivalent talent. Thus it seems appropriate to mount this exhibition. Featured artists include Genevieve Barnhart, Gail Chase Bien, Dorr Bothwell, Minerva Chapman, Holly Downing, Pamela Glasscock, April Gornik, Ynez Johnston, Mary Fuller McChesney, Karima Muyaes, June Wayne, and Penny Wolin, among many others.

IGLTA Members listen to the Mayor's Welcome

Earlier today, Thursday, Feb 18th, members of the International Gay & Lesbian Tourism Association gathered at the first stop of their Petaluma Familiarization “Fam” tour.  The downtown merchants, in particular several gay & lesbian owned business owners, rolled out the red carpet to tout Petaluma as a fantastic cultural destination.  This was part of a multi-day tour of the County with the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau.

The guests were treated to “tastes of Petaluma” at Pelican Art Gallery, Joe Hamer Salon, Tuscan Gardens, Sonoma Valley Port Works and the Petaluma Arts Center.  The idea behind the “Fam” tour was to get these travel professionals excited about the cultural richness offered by our town & we SUCCEEDED!

Jerrie, Linda, Pam, Elly & Juliet prepare for the welcome

I had the honor of introducing the schedule for the afternoon and introducing the Mayor.  As I listened to the Mayor, Elly Lichtenstein (Cinnabar Theater), Jerrie Jerne (Riverfront & Dimensions galleries), Gretchen Singer (Singer Gallery) & Elisa Webber (Della Fattoria who provided the “Taste”), I was proud as a peacock of the of what we have to offer the tourism industry.  We were sure to mention that Petaluma was recently chosen as the “Happiest/healthiest place in California”. Resident Artist Sachal was on hand to meet & greet.

Later Tom (Joe Hamer Salon) stopped by to report the tour stop at his place went swimmingly well with Mary Stubbs (Stubbs Winery) as the guest speaker and Grazziano’s providing the “Taste”.  The report from Tuscan Gardens was that the guests were genuinely interested in learning about Petaluma’s.  Barbara Harden showed up from the Museum to talk about history & the gardens around town while Sea Thai provided the “Taste”.  From there they headed to Foundry Warf where Bill Reading talked about the Petaluma GAP and gave a “Taste” of his award winning ports.

Cowgirl Creamery provided an awesome tour of the creamery with “Tastes” of their delicious cheeses, history on dairy farmers in the area and the preservation efforts to save these agricultural treasures.

The last stop was the Visitor’s Center & Petaluma Arts Center to top off a grand day in Petaluma. “Tastes” at the final stop were provided by Dempsey’s & Cordoza’s Deli. So many people  helped make this day very special for our new friends. Thank you to everyone who helped.  Petaluma ROCKS!

The new maps from the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau list 15 galleries in the county & EIGHT, yes 8, more than 50%,  are in Petaluma.  Isn’t that just so COOL!  I’m stoked and energized to continue working hard to get the word out  that we are a top art & culture destination.  Add to the art our wonderful antique merchants, full spectrum of shopping opportunities, tantalizing restaurants and rocking  entertainment and we have something very special.

Be sure to mark your calendars for the Second Saturday Art Walk on March 13th from 4 – 7pm as it will feature hundreds of pieces of art by our local high school students celebrating Youth Art Month.  This event will be dedicated to the life & influence of Linda Gonzalez.

Our dear friend and fellow business owner Linda Gonzalez of Gallery One lost her brave battle with cancer 2 days before Christmas. Linda was a warm and supportive person always willing to get involved and brought light to those around her. She will be missed by all here at the PDA. Please see the following Obituary and details of her memorial service:
Linda, a well known Petaluma educator and gallery owner, passed away Wednesday, December 23, 2009, at her home in Petaluma at the age of 72. She started her teaching career in 1969 at St. Vincent de Paul High School where she taught art, photography, Spanish, and art appreciation. She also served as Fine Art Department Chairperson, yearbook advisor and coordinated school fundraisers, fashion and talent shows. During her 30 year teaching career, along with her husband Michael, she coordinated foreign exchange trips both here and abroad, as well as taught stained glass at Petaluma Adult Ed. Linda and Michael have owned and managed Gallery One in Petaluma for over 20 years and a gallery in Sonoma from 2000-2005.
Linda retired from teaching high school in 1999 to devote more time to the Arts and the community. She served on various committees for the Petaluma Downtown Association and Petaluma Chamber of Commerce. A generous supporter of Petaluma Educational Foundation, Hospice of Petaluma, St. Vincent H.S., Linda always was volunteering for a wide variety of causes.
A native of San Francisco, Linda was educated in Marin County at San Domenico Elementary and High Schools and graduated from Dominican University with a degree in Art and Spanish and a teaching credential in 1959. In 1957, she was selected Miss Marin as part of the Miss America Pageant.
She is survived by her husband of 37 years, Michael Gonzalez; two children Brenda “BB” Bernheim-Straub of Tiburon and Bradley Bernheim of Mill Valley; an uncle Peter Fromhagen of San Rafael; an aunt Patricia Sandstrom of Bend, OR, and cousin Spencer Sandstrom of Concord.
Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial celebration of Linda’s life on Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 3:00 pm at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 35 Liberty St. Petaluma, CA. The family requests that any donations be made to St. Vincent de Paul H.S., Petaluma or to Hospice of Petaluma. Family assisted by PARENT-SORENSEN MORTUARY & CREMATORY, Petaluma.

TITLE: NEW BEGINNINGS
JANUARY 10 – FEBRUARY 6, 2010
Entries received: Jan. 7,8, 2010 11:00am – 4:00pm
juried: Jan. 20. 2010
Reception: Jan. 16, 2010 5:30 – 8:00pm
$5.00 entry fee per work. maximum 2 entries – 2 or 3 dimensional art

Questions: call 707-778-8277 or
email mlg528@earthlink.net for details

It’s also a great chance to check out the wonderful spectrum of art downtown. Artwork can be the perfect gift. If you’re not sure what type of art a person likes, a gift certificate might be the way to go.

In any case, I invite you to make your way downtown!

I’m sure that, given the scenario, most people would be surprised to find downtown  Petaluma as the fastest growing fine art destination in the San Francisco Bay Area.  I believe it will continue to grow due to the cooperative passion of the downtown gallery & studio owners.

I’m thankful for the passion for arts throughout  Petaluma.  Petaluma has a deep roster of key players in the arts. Elly Lichenstein  has been sharing her zeal and leadership for the theatrical arts at Cinnabar Theater for 30 years.  Elly & her staff have truly helped the downtown arts wave by seeing the rich assortment of venues to expand their reach through summer concerts, private receptions and Taste of Petaluma.  Vicky Kumpfer, who impressively took the reigns at the Petaluma Arts Center a few months ago and has done an excellent job of harnessing the passion of the members of the Petaluma Arts Council to create a true cornerstone of art for the downtown. As the development of the Haystack project unfolds, we have a tremendous opportunity to tie the core downtown to the Arts Center and Vicky is right up front helping to ensure we work together with the City and the project.

The newest addition to the downtown art scene is the Calabi Gallery.  Dennis Calabi has been working in the visual arts for over 40 years and brings such immense knowledge and insight to the new Petaluma Galleries cooperative.  I am very grateful for his willingness to jump in and participate with the other galleries.  Our tag line for the Petaluma Galleries is “Fulfill your Passion for Fine Art in Downtown Petaluma”!

I’m also thankful for community members like Trisha Almond and Jennifer March, who have partnered with the downtown galleries/merchants to launch their artistic dreams.  Earlier this year, Trisha managed to produce the Vagina Monologues at the community center while introducing the production through vignettes downtown.  Jennifer March is currently fulfilling her dream of bringing Readers Theatre to Petaluma with her production of Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory”.  The first of 3 presentations of this wonderful story was last Friday and was a huge success.  The other performances will be on December 4th and December 11th at Pelican Art Gallery.

It is such an exciting time in Petaluma!  Thank you for your passion for the arts & have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

This weekend also presents a couple other happenings to mark on your calendar. On Saturday, 11/14, the artist reception for the new show up at the Riverfront Art Gallery will be held from 5-9pm.

Also this weekend is the reception for the Annual Members Show at the Petaluma Arts Center from 2-4pm on Sunday, 11/15. Due to the number of members, each artist was allowed to submit 1 piece of art that could not be larger than 20″ in any dimension. It is always an interesting show to see what our local artists are up to. The reception is always a buzz with a festive atmosphere. Hope to see you out & about with art this weekend!

1. Aurora Colors Gallery, 145 Kentucky St, 707-762-0131 – Art Glass discussion and hands on demo on fused kiln-formed glass.

2. Calabi Gallery, 144 Petaluma Blvd North, 707-781-7070 – NEW!

3. Dimensions Galleria, 115 Petaluma Blvd North, 707-763-3515 – Learn to color clay and transfer prints onto a felt-like material for framing with Diana Crain. 

4. Haus Fortuna, 111 Second St, 707-283-0166 – Special Holiday refreshments will be served.

5. Gallery One, 209 Western Ave, 707-778-8277 – Jewelry Truck show from 2-7 featuring Katya, fused glass artist.

6. Pelican Art Gallery, 143 Petaluma Blvd North, 707-773-3393 – Discussion of using paper and other materials in Collage.

7. Petaluma Arts Center, 230 Lakeville St @ D St., 707-762-5600 – Opening day of the Annual “Members Only” Exhibition. 8. Purple Leaf, 23 Kentucky Street, 707-765-3950 - Featuring Artist Jan Lee and her award winning Grapes, and Artist Karen West and her teatime water colors. Enjoy tastings of Mighty Leaf Teas. NEW!

9. Riverfront Art Gallery, 132 Petaluma Blvd North, 707-775-4278 – Discussion of images of Lance Kuehene’s 2010 Calendar.

10. StarStruck Boutique, 123 Kentucky St, 707-766-6199 – Meet and greet the Artist, Chor Boogie.

11. Viva Cocolat, 110 Petaluma Blvd North, 707-778-9888

Click here to download the Art Walk Map for November 2009!

Hope to see you out & about on Friday!